Helping Kids Stay Drug & Alcohol Free
A parent's guide to supporting a young person, with Australian resources.
Last updated
Suspecting that your child is using drugs is a distressing place to be, and it is a common one. This guide covers what helps, what the law says about testing a minor in Australia, and where to get support — including the phone numbers worth having to hand.
Understanding the situation
The Australian Secondary School Students’ Alcohol and Drug (ASSAD) survey gives the clearest picture of how common substance use is among teenagers. Its consistent finding is that a meaningful proportion of students try alcohol, tobacco or other drugs during their school years.
That is context rather than reassurance. It matters because it shapes the response: experimentation and dependence are different problems, and they call for different reactions.
What parents can do
Talk openly. Make it clear your child can raise anything with you without being judged for it. Explain risks in concrete terms rather than general warnings.
Set clear rules and keep them. Boundaries work best when the reasoning behind them is explained and the consequences are known in advance.
Stay involved. Knowing where your child is and who they are with is not surveillance. It is the ordinary awareness that lets you notice a change early.
Use the evidence-based resources. Positive Choices is government-funded and written for parents as well as students.
Engage with school programs. Many schools run drug education with external providers. Reinforcing those messages at home makes them more effective.
Build a support network. You do not have to work it out alone — the services listed at the end of this article exist for exactly this.
Should you hair test your child?
Some parents consider hair drug testing to find out what is happening. It is a legitimate option, and it is worth thinking through rather than reaching for in a moment of panic.
The case for it
- Early intervention. Detecting use early opens the door to counselling or treatment before the situation escalates.
- A long detection window. Hair covers months rather than days, so it shows a pattern instead of a snapshot.
- Hard to manipulate. Collection is quick and non-invasive, and the sample is very difficult to tamper with.
- Broad coverage. A single analysis screens 95 substances, so you are not guessing which one to look for.
The case against
- Privacy and autonomy. Testing without consent can be experienced as a serious breach of trust, and trust is the thing you most need to keep.
- Legal complexity. Minors in Australia have privacy and bodily autonomy rights that vary by state and territory.
- Psychological cost. Being tested against their will can leave a young person feeling betrayed, and can make the underlying problem harder to reach.
- Results need context. A cheap consumer test can mislead in both directions, and even an accredited result tells you what was present, not why or how much. What a result means usually needs interpretation.
Losing your child’s trust can affect the relationship for years. A measured approach — talking first, testing if it is genuinely warranted — protects both.
Consent and the law in Australia
Parents and legal guardians can generally make healthcare decisions for their children until 18, including consenting to medical procedures, under what the law calls their parens patriae responsibility to act in the child’s best interests.
Australian law also protects the privacy and bodily autonomy of minors, and those protections vary between states and territories. In some circumstances a minor can consent to their own treatment, particularly around mental health and substance use.
Where a young person actively refuses, the balance shifts. Courts weigh the minor’s maturity, the risks and benefits of the procedure, and the reasons for the refusal, with the child’s welfare as the paramount consideration. Compelling a 14-year-old to test against their will carries real legal risk and is likely to be counterproductive.
If the other parent disagrees with testing, or your child refuses outright, get legal advice about the law in your state before proceeding. Mediation resolves more of these situations than litigation does.
At our clinic, a young person aged 14 or over provides their own written consent at the time of collection, alongside the consent of a parent or guardian. We do not test anyone without their knowledge.
What to bring to the appointment
Identification
- a government-issued photo ID for each parent attending — driver’s licence or passport
- the child’s birth certificate, plus a student ID if there is one
Legal documentation
- custody documents, where relevant, particularly any specifying healthcare decision-making rights
- guardianship documents, if the child is accompanied by someone other than a biological parent
Consent
- written consent from the child, for children aged 14 and over. Forms are provided at the appointment.
- consent from the legal guardian or guardians, signed by both parents where that applies
Medical information
- a current list of all medications the child is taking, since some affect results or explain them
Something familiar
- for a younger or anxious child, a book or a comfort item makes the twenty minutes easier
What happens during collection is worth reading beforehand, and worth showing your child. Most of the anxiety comes from not knowing what the appointment involves.
Where to get help
National
| Service | Phone | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline | 1800 250 015 | Free, confidential advice 24/7; routes you to your state’s service |
| Alcohol and Drug Foundation | (03) 9611 6100 | Information and advice on preventing and reducing harm |
| Lifeline | 13 11 14 | Crisis support and suicide prevention, 24/7 |
| Hello Sunday Morning | — | Support for changing a relationship with alcohol, via the Daybreak app |
| Quitline | 13 78 48 | Support to quit smoking, including counselling |
State and territory
| State | Service | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | Your Room | 1800 422 599 |
| VIC | DirectLine | 1800 888 236 |
| QLD | Adis 24/7 Alcohol and Drug Support | 1800 177 833 |
| SA | SA Health | 1300 13 1340 |
| WA | Alcohol and Drug Support Line | 1800 198 024 |
| TAS | Alcohol and Drug Information Service | 1800 811 994 |
| NT | Alcohol and Other Drugs Services | 1800 131 350 |
| ACT | Canberra Health Services | (02) 5124 9977 |
Information and education
- Positive Choices — evidence-based drug education for parents, teachers and students
- Australian Government Department of Health — alcohol and other drug information
- Raising Children Network — practical advice for parents dealing with drug issues
- DARTA — Drug and Alcohol Research and Training Australia
If you decide to test
We test young people with their consent and a parent’s, and we will talk you through whether testing is the right step before you book. Call (03) 9380 5434, or book an appointment.
